


The One Where Merlin is on Deep Space 9

by stopping_by_woods



Category: Merlin (TV), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Bajoran Arthur, Cardassian Merlin, M/M, Miles O'Brien knows him some Earth myth, Poor Schizophrenic Kira, That reincarnation fic you never knew you wanted, With apologies to Roddenberry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-20 23:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/893024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopping_by_woods/pseuds/stopping_by_woods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kira Nerys is looking forward to meeting Vedek Arthur when he visits the station, but then there's this Cardassian sneaking around, but not very sneakily, and acting suspiciously not-very-suspicious.  Chief O'Brien tries to convince her that all the familiar names mean something, Jadzia thinks it's all normal, and Merlin thinks it's all hilarious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Merlin is on Deep Space 9

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sophrederick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophrederick/gifts).



> Some time ago, a good friend of mine went on a DS9 kick and, doubting anyone else would be similarly willing, asked me to fill a prompt for the angsty romance of Cardassian Merlin and Bajoran Arthur. What followed wasn't too angsty and was mostly irreverent, but this is not a combination of fandoms that could really be serious anyway.
> 
> This is set in Season 4 of DS9, whenever you want between the time Worf arrives and the Klingons start to get antsy but before they actually start, you know, attacking Cardassia and stuff.

Once upon a time, there was a metaphorical purse full of coins, each with two proverbial sides, not that each side always knew about the other.  When a metaphorical hand picked up the metaphysical coins and scattered them across the stars and years, space and time, the two faces, courage and magic (meeting occasional other faces representing such clichés as strength, compassion, ambition, and honor) inevitably met up and discovered each other again, star-crossed though they were at times.  The first time they met, a great deal went well, a great deal went awry, and their stories were told for thousands of years after.  The second through ninth times were good times too.  The tenth, well.  The tenth time was far beyond the stars.

 

Major Kira paced nervously next to one of the huge round rolling doors of Deep Space Nine, pausing only to snap (with little heat) at Jadzia Dax whenever the Trill teased that she was pacing.  “It’s just,” Kira said, stilling and squaring her shoulders, “this new vedek has done so much for the peace talks with the Cardassians, and it’s amazing that we’ve never met before.  He apparently has this way of spouting syrupy-sweet, vague inspirational analogies so earnestly that they seem to make sense, and then his legislation gets passed, like with that last agreement he negotiated; I have no idea what it means that Cardassia and Bajor are opposite sides of the same coin and the Prophets mean for us to work together, or what he means with some of his fencing metaphors, but the lines about brotherhood and togetherness and sitting together at a table of equality were apparently inspirational enough to convince the Central Command to give us some leeway when they didn’t want to.  If anyone could fill part- just part- of Vedek Bareil’s shoes, he could.”  Her voice only shook a little bit when she said the last name.

Dax laughed at the rushed babble and clapped Kira on the shoulder.  “And you want to make a good impression, I get it.  Don’t worry—he’s probably as intimidated by you as you are by him.  The famous Kira Nerys, Major, terrorist, officer on Deep Space Nine, advisor to the Emissary…”

“Thanks, but shut up.”

It was then that the Bajoran in question arrived, his ship having finished docking.  He was attractive enough, with blonde hair, blue eyes, full lips, the usual Bajoran nose ridges, and a somewhat prominent Adam’s apple (except on Bajor they called it something else, not being in the linguistic shadow of Earth’s Western Civilization and its foundational Judeo-Christian belief system terminology, but that’s a discussion for another time), but what was really noteworthy about Vedek Arthur Pendra was his presence, which (Kira thought to herself sternly) was silly, because he was a religious figure, and surely a mien that seemed almost kingly was far from what he intended.  Surely.  As it was, she felt as though he was sizing her up for her strengths and weaknesses, as though he could judge at a leveled glance how she would fare in hand-to-hand combat (incredibly well, actually, but that’s another discussion as well).  She also recalled that, as Arthur had come from an extremely wealthy family, his cell of the resistance had been very political and well-respected, and that the extent of his involvement had always been a bit dubious, if not covert.

“Major Kira,” the vedek began, clasping her hand firmly, “it is so gratifying to finally meet you.  What you have done for our people these past few years, establishing a presence and a power on this station, facilitating our political and cultural independence, helping the Emissary with his duties in this rather trying time for our faith-- it’s astonishing, and I’m grateful on behalf of the people who don’t know to be.”

“Well,” Major Kira did _not_ blush, “I could say the same thing about you.  Well, some of the same things.  I mean, thank you.  This is Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, a science officer here on Deep Space Nine.”  Jadzia rolled her eyes, spouting a few pleasantries and mentioning that her presence was required elsewhere, so _unfortunately_ Kira would have to show Vedek Arthur around by herself, if she didn’t mind _too_ much.  Kira wasn’t sure whether to thank her with a hug or punch her surreptitiously, but that was how she usually felt about Dax.

 

“I do look forward to seeing the station’s Temple,” Vedek Arthur said, walking smoothly beside Kira on the Promenade, the station’s main thoroughfare, a few hours later.  “After all, maintaining the faith even in the depths of space, although I realize this hardly counts as such, is of the utmost importance.  It serves to remind us that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.” 

Kira smiled.  “I think services just ended, so if you’d like, you can mingle with some of our people and ask them how they feel about that.”  They both stood back from the Temple as a crowd of Bajorans, some (but only some) frowning, whispering, and furtively glancing behind them, exited the apparently recently-ended service.  They brightened considerably when Kira and the vedek approached and the latter introduced himself, asking all manner of questions about life on the station, how they were faring, and not once mentioning the Occupation or his extensive political involvement.  One man did try to bring it up, expressing his hopes that the meetings and discussions in the next couple of days (the entire reason Vedek Arthur was there) went well and won back even more ground for them.  Arthur calmly nodded, thanked the man, and deflected onto a new subject.

As the crowd thinned and Arthur was engaged in a hearty conversation with another man named Celot who was apparently an old and dear friend and a representative from the Bajoran lakeside regions, Kira discovered why many of the people exiting the service had seemed perturbed.  Leaning casually against the wall just inside the doorway and watching the goings-on with apparent interest was a Cardassian. 

“What are you doing here?” Kira blurted out.

The Cardassian blinked and then squinted at her as though trying to ascertain whether she was joking.  “Worshipping as I see fit, thus the candles and the service attendance.  Plus, I heard there’s a visiting vedek, although he didn’t seem to show, and I thought maybe I could hear an interesting new perspective on this week’s readings,” he finally answered, very slowly and reasonably, as though she were a simpleton.  She wouldn’t have been so annoyed if the comment hadn’t been accompanied by a smile so seemingly guileless Garak the simple tailor would have been jealous.

“What, did you experience a profound moment of conversion while you were occupying our planet?” she shot back.

The Cardassian was about to answer her, but they were interrupted by Vedek Arthur calling her name to introduce her to another old friend.  When Kira looked back inside the doorway, he was gone.  She shook her head, confused and a little irritated.

 

The next few days consisted of debates, drafting of regulations and agreements, and dull meeting after meeting in which the Bajoran government offered an inch and the Cardassian Central Command countered with a centimeter, and vice versa.  (Differing measurement systems was another challenge they faced.)  Major Kira was thankful that she only had to attend a few of these meetings; otherwise, she would probably have gone insane.  Action, effective and efficient administration, and smoothing wrinkles were her fortes, not hours upon hours of semantic quibbling and desperate attempts to scrape at old wounds without drawing blood.  Even now, as she sat next to Captain Sisko and twirled the stylus of her padd between her fingers, she was only half listening to Cardassian delegate Gul Lot’s introductions of his newly-arrived associates.  “And finally, Legate Gwayne, Gul Merengue” (Kira started snickering, but only in her head, although from the look Sisko shot her, he was, too; she would have to ask later if there was a Gul Coconut Cream) “and Gul Merlynn.” 

Most of the Bajorans and Federation representatives at the table nodded politely, but at the mention of the last name, Vedek Arthur straightened, paled, looked the mentioned Cardassian in the eye, stood up quickly, and muttered an excuse before exiting with less composure than anyone there had ever seen him offer.

Gul Merlynn started laughing, almost hysterically, continuing even as everyone stared blankly and a little angrily at him.  He was, Kira realized, the man from the Bajoran Temple a few days before.  “Would you mind sharing with us what’s so funny?” she asked faux-sweetly.

“It’s just,” he gasped, wiping his eyes, “I was about to ask, ‘where has Arthur Pendra gone?’” With that, he started laughing again, until Legate Gwayne shook his head and punched him in the arm hard enough to make him flinch.  Everyone else stared at him blankly, and the discussion began a few minutes later when Vedek Arthur returned, apologizing and saying something about needing some air.  He did not once look at Gul Merlynn, and Gul Merlynn spent the next hour smirking silently.

 

“I just don’t get what was so funny!” Kira said later when she met with a few of her friends at Quark’s Bar, slamming her Tarkalean Tea on the table for emphasis.  “Vedek Arthur acted ill, left, and this Cardassian, Gul Merlynn, started laughing hysterically about asking where he went.”

“What he was going to say,” Captain Sisko put in thoughtfully, “was ‘where has Arthur Pendra gone?’”

Chief Miles O’Brien, who had been listening from a nearby table with only some interest, spat out his coffee all over the table.  (“You’ll clean that up!” Quark called from across the room.  O’Brien bought Rom a drink when he came over with a rag a few minutes later.)

“Those were his exact words?” O’Brien asked, wiping his face and leaning forward.

“Why is that important- what would it mean?” asked Dr. Julian Bashir beside him.  Jadzia blinked as though she was trying to remember something.

O’Brien sighed.  “Julian, don’t you know anything about Earth history?  Arthur, King of the Britons?  Knights of the Round Table, Camelot?  The powerful wizard Merlin?  Any of it?”

“Of course I’ve heard of King Arthur!” Bashir replied defensively.

O’Brien shrugged.  “Well, his name was Arthur _Pendragon_ , and Merlynn sounds a lot like Merlin…”

Jadzia shook her head.  “That is very strange.  But probably a coincidence.”

Kira shook her head disbelievingly too.  “I have no idea what your little Earth myths would be doing reincarnating themselves here.  There’s probably a better explanation, especially considering how uncomfortable he seemed to make Vedek Arthur.”  Sisko nodded, trying to think about what else could have made the Gul laugh so hard.  No one ever listened to O’Brien.

 

The next day, Kira was walking along the Promenade when she saw Gul Merlynn embracing a young, dark-skinned Bajoran girl whom Kira knew fairly well.  She stopped, trying not to look at them, but she couldn’t hide her frown when the Cardassian, who hadn’t noticed Kira’s approach, walked in the opposite direction.  The girl came up to her and laid her hand on Kira’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Major?” 

Kira smiled brightly and asked why anything would be wrong.  She had done a little bit of research over the past few days, and Gul Merlynn was recorded in the history logs as being one of the most brutal officers during the Occupation, being responsible for several “missing” (and presumed dead) transport ships full of Bajoran workers and the taking away of over a hundred Bajoran children, often the sick or injured, from their families in the camps.  It bothered her that innocent little Evear (on whom nineteen seemed impossibly young) could be striking up a friendship with such a man. (She shushed the tiny voice that asked _and what kind of friendship_? because the thought made her sick.)  No wonder Vedek Arthur had wanted nothing to do with him, if he knew about the man’s history.  Arthur had even missed a few meetings due to “headaches” this morning, but he had said he would be back for evening talks.

“You’re worried because I was giving Gul Merlynn a hug.  I know you think I’m young, but I’m not such a child that I don’t know who my friends are.  You should know, too.  Major Kira— _Nerys_ , can you keep a secret?” the girl asked earnestly.  Major Kira nodded.   Her secret-keeping, where it had this kind of security on the line, was fairly flexible.

“I mean it,” Evear insisted.  “No one can know this, not just for me or him, but for the sake of a lot of lives that are being protected because of it.”  Kira nodded again, and Evear, apparently convinced, led the Major over to an empty corner on the edge of the upper level of the Promenade where they could see anyone approaching.  They were about to sit down on a bench there when they heard raised, but rapidly receding, as though the conversationalists were walking away from them, voices from the next corner over. 

“I wonder, I really do, how I didn’t recognize you at first!  Look at you—same dark hair, big eyes, high cheekbones, although the gray lizard look isn’t good on any of you, and even the _ears_.  Are you sure you’re a Cardassian and not a Ferengi?”  It sounded like Vedek Arthur’s voice, but Kira was sure it couldn’t be, since the next one was definitely Gul Merlynn’s:

“Enough about the ears!  Look at you—I’d’ve thought going through the Occupation would make anyone skinny, but here you are, looking like your average Bolian…”

“Did you just call me _fat_??” 

“No, but I’m just saying, even Gawain noticed it; not much time for sword practice these days?”

“Quiet.  How did he ever get to be a Legate anyway, with as much as he drinks?  Don’t think I haven’t heard the reports of him getting into bar fights with Klingons.” 

“Did he ever tell you about the time he defeated the immortal Orion knight…?”  The voices faded away.

Evear shook her head… fondly?  What was that about?  “Look,” she began, “I know you’re really confused, and I can really only tell you about half of the story anyway.  You know how my parents got me away from Bajor, out of the camps, when they thought there was no hope for any of the children of the resistance fighters?”

Kira nodded, smiling sadly.  “I knew your parents well, as you know.  Guin Tom and Guin Mara were some of the best people we had.  They were going to try to get more of you children out before the accident that claimed them.”

“Yes, about that.  They didn’t get me out; Merlin did by sneaking me into the cargo hold of a fleet ship that stopped off for supplies at a colony.  He got most of the other children out too, right afterwards and in much in the same way!”

“ _What?_   We got word that the camp was destroyed by an accidental fire and that there were only a few survivors, all Cardassians.  I think your Merlynn even got a commendation for his ‘efficient and cost-effective handling of the situation,’” Kira answered bitterly.

Evear rolled her eyes.  “Of course that’s what everyone _thought_ he did; otherwise they wouldn’t have let him keep rescuing us.  ‘Accidental fire,’ indeed—and it was just a coincidence that all the records were destroyed too?  Hardly anyone knows what he really did during the Occupation; he saved hundreds of people and sent us, one by one, across the quadrant, all while making it look like he was just being your standard ruthless Cardassian!  It was like magic, really,” she said with a secret little smile, “the way he could earn our trust, not like the other officers who clearly wanted something and would offer us candy or toys, but by earnestly promising us that we would be safe.  He said he’d make sure of it.  And it was like magic how he always seemed to know how to make us disappear.”

“If all that’s true, he’s a hero!  Why can’t he come out and confess what he’s done so he can be appreciated and make a real impact instead of being on some dull, slow committee?  I know I’ve been giving him the cold shoulder, and Vedek Arthur has certainly been going out of his way to ignore him.”

Evear laughed, pointing out, “Arthur’s been ignoring him, not fighting with him.  He’s one of the best-spoken diplomats Bajor has right now; don’t you think he could find the words to address him if he really had a problem?   Besides, Merlin has always told me it’s his destiny to go unappreciated for most of his life.  He also says Arthur just has density, so there you go.”

Well, _that_ certainly didn’t sound like a Cardassian to her.  From what she knew (and she knew a lot) they preferred to make their own luck and scoff at fate.  Also… “What does he mean by ‘density?’”

“I’m not really sure.  I think he’s calling Arthur stupid, but he does like to make bad jokes sometimes.”

“Ah.”

Kira still wasn’t sure either, but she didn’t know why, in the name of all that was under the Prophets, Evear would lie about something like this, so she decided she was just going to have to talk to Gul Merlynn herself.  All she knew was that she was incredibly confused, but a good judge of character.  She liked to think. 

“I have something else I wanted to tell you about, Major.  Do you think the Emissary would give me his blessing, since I’m about to be married?” Evear blushed.  This was an excellent distraction, even if it wasn’t intended as such, because Kira considered her to be like family, like a little niece, and she hadn’t even known she was seeing anyone, much less considering marrying (a good friend of Vedek Arthur’s, it turned out).  They discussed wedding plans and Kira pushed aside the little voice that kept trying to consider what the truth about Gul Merlynn was.

 

The next person she awkwardly witnessed hugging Gul Merlynn was that same old and dear friend of Arthur’s, and Evear’s fiancé, Mr. Lan… something.  Of the lakes.  Celot—that was his name!  Well, this was just getting more confusing—Gul Merlynn did seem to have a lot of Bajoran friends, which was unusual for the standard Cardassian, though not necessarily for the most deceitful of them.  She had even seen him eating lunch with one of Odo’s security men, Leon… well, she wasn’t sure what his given name was, but they had seemed to be talking about weaponry-- laser crossbows and such.  Unfortunately, she was too far away both times to very effectively eavesdrop or approach either man before they parted, but it seemed like another middle piece to one of those jigsaw puzzles Dr. Bashir liked so much—she didn’t have a picture, and she hadn’t even finished putting the edges together yet. 

Kira went to Pendra’s (he had long since asked her to call him by his given, not family name) temporary lodgings on the station first to ask if he really did have a problem with Gul Merlynn, and whence it stemmed.  She figured that would provide some insight when she spoke with the Cardassian herself.  When she approached, however, she was startled (and, of course, immediately livid) to see the subject of all of her worries pressing Bajor’s rising star diplomat vedek against the wall by his quarters, hands on his neck and apparently choking him, if the gasps she heard as she came down the corridor were any indication.  She was seven-eighths toward running towards them, three-quarters to calling for security, halfway toward shouting, and considering pulling out her phaser when another part of her brain arrested her where she was standing.  It was _those_ kinds of gasps, and _that_ kind of pressing against the wall, and one usually didn’t put one’s face in such exceedingly close proximity to the person one was suffocating.  In shock, Major Kira simply obeyed when her brain told her body to just run away before she had to talk to either of them.  She had a bit more trouble obeying her brain, however, when it told her to forget a clearly private moment she had never expected, much less wanted, to see.

 

“Chief O’Brien,” Kira said later in Quark’s, interrupting him as he discussed a system upgrade with Dax over coffee and raktajino.  The chief was shocked at how visibly shaken she looked.  “I need to ask you about those legends you were talking about.  Everything I remember about them came from that holosuite program Jadzia took me to once, the one where I punched out Lancelot.”  Jadzia laughed, and a tiny voice in the back of Kira’s head told her to think more about the name ‘Lancelot,’ but she shushed it.  It turned out she was good at that. 

O’Brien chuckled, remembering that incident clearly.  “Why the sudden interest in my ‘little Earth myths?’”

“Oh, you know,” she said, trying to be casual, “I was giving it some thought, and it really is a strange coincidence that there should be an Arthur and a Merlin—or a Merlynn—so far from the place where the stories originated.  If it’s not a coincidence, then someone planned it, and if someone planned it, it was for a reason, and I want to know what that reason would be.”  (Here, the tiny voice pushed a thought to the front, and it spilled out of her mouth before she could think better of it.) “There’s even a Bajoran they both know named Lan Celot!  If he’s part of this, I want to know, since he was just engaged to my friend Guin Evear.  She’s a sweet girl, but for some reason she trusts this Gul Merlynn, and if there’s some sort of plot going on, I don’t want her or anyone else to get hurt.”

At this, Chief O’Brien set his coffee down heavily, leaned further over the table, looked her in the eyes, and asked if she was joking. 

“…No?  Why would I be joking about something like this?”

“You seriously know people named Lancelot and Guinevere, and they’re engaged?”

“You say this like you know them too.  I mean, I’ll admit Lan Celot sounds like Lancelot, and Merlynn sounds like Merlin if you put the stress on the first syllable, and obviously Arthur sounds the same, but…” 

“But Guinevere was the queen of Camelot in King Arthur’s day, and she was famous for having a romance with Sir Lancelot.  Of course, there were other knights of the Round Table as well--Sir Percival, Sir Galahad, Sir Gawain, Sir Gareth, Sir Elyan…”

Kira leaned forward suddenly.  “Evear’s brother is named Elyan!”

“It sounds to me, Major, as though we need to talk to Vedek Arthur and Gul Merlynn.” 

They hadn’t noticed, during the course of their conversation, that Jadzia was still there.  “So,” she whispered suddenly with a mischievous smile, “why don’t you go over there and ask them what’s going on?”  She pointed across Quark’s to a table in a rather dark corner, where, several empty glasses of some Earth drink in front of them, Gul Merlynn and Vedek Arthur sat, laughing and chatting and sitting _entirely too close together_ (the tiny voice insisted) as though they were the very best of friends.  Seriously, were they _holding hands_?

“Right,” Chief O’Brien said, rising at the same time as Kira.  Neither was one to balk at confrontation.  Kira let O’Brien lead the way, ostensibly because he and Dax were closer to Pendra and Gul Merlynn, but mostly because she had no idea what to say.

“Hello, I’m Chief O’Brien, and if you don’t mind, I had a few questions about—” he began, but Gul Merlynn interrupted him, grinning so happily and innocently Kira was reminded, once again, of Garak when he actually wasn’t lying.  Not that she was ever certain as to when that was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chief; are you from Earth, specifically somewhere in the British Isles?  Arthur, listen, he sounds like Morgana!  He has to be Irish!” 

“What?”  Kira spluttered.

“ _Mer_ lynn,” and she was sure she didn’t imagine the odd stress Arthur put on the Cardassian’s name as he rolled his eyes.  “Not now.  I’m sorry, Chief, it is nice to meet you, hello Major, I’m sorry he’s such an idiot--”

“--And you’re a cabbage head,” Merlynn cut in cheerfully.

“Quiet.  Chief, your slight accent is a bit reminiscent of that of my two half-sisters, Mor Gause and Mor Gana, but… well, I can tell from your face that you’re reading a great deal into their names, and that you, Major, are very confused.”

“Well, yes,” Chief O’Brien began.  “I do know a lot of old Earth legends, and I couldn’t help but notice that you two are, well…”

“Reflecting a great many aspects of medieval British myth?”  Arthur suggested nonchalantly.

“Which is strange, seeing as you’re Bajoran and Cardassian and… what have you,” Kira put in, trying to stay on top of the conversation.

“Yes.  That we are.  Merlin, I’ll let you take it from here.”

“Why should I?  _You’re_ the great and grand future of restored Albion, the once and future Kai or whatever you are now.”

“Yes, and I grew up hating people like you until I figured out you weren’t all alike and that the one who killed my mother wasn’t necessarily a representative sample.  She was actually a member of the Obsidian Order named Nimue.  Familiar?  I assume you also remember being my _servant_.”

“Clot pole.” 

“ _Mer_ lin.”

Kira was getting rather tired of the petulance and inside joke sniping.  She cleared her throat meaningfully.

“Oh, fine.” The Cardassian shook his head.  “Well, Chief, I don’t know which version of the story you know—I personally like the one our librarian and scholar, Geoffrey of Monmouth, took down, although Malory and White got some things right too—but I am Merlin, and this is Arthur.”

“We kind of knew that,” Major Kira muttered, but Dax shoved her and leaned forward intently.

“My point is, we’re _that_ Merlin and Arthur.  The story starts, oh, in a lot of places, but I’ll begin during the Occupation, when I was just a lowly Glinn assigned to patrol the area near the Bajoran Fire Caves to make sure there weren’t any resistance fighters hiding nearby.  I know you’ve been talking to Gwen—sorry, Evear, as you know her—and it’s true that I really wasn’t quite as vicious as my record says.”

“He’s being modest, as usual,” Arthur said begrudgingly, but with a little softness to his voice.

“Yes, well.  Basically, what I did was hide orphaned children in the Fire Caves and then bring their earrings back as slain resistance fighters; the men under my command never looked closely enough to know the difference.  I felt bad robbing them of their heritage that way, but I figured better their histories than their lives, and they could always get new earrings when the Occupation was over.  And since, you know, Cardassians never make mistakes, no one ever challenged me on it.  I won a lot of honors that way, funnily enough.  Anyway, one day I was bringing the children food and I got a little lost inside the Caves, and I heard this horrible loud falling-rocks thrashing sound, followed by a _voice_ , echoing through the night and calling my name, seemingly in my head.  When I went to investigate—”

“--Because he’s an idiot who can’t leave well enough alone—”

“Stop.  When I went to investigate, I found, deep within the Fire Caves (I’ll admit I got rather lost after a few hours and worried that I would die there alone and underground, which is every Cardassian’s dream, let me tell you) a dragon.”

“A dragon,” Kira said flatly.

“Wait, a real dragon?”  O’Brien, who had gotten caught up in the story, asked.  The little boy inside him wanted to ask if Merlynn had slain it, but he held his tongue.

“As far as I know, a real dragon.  He had been trapped there long ago when the Pah-Wraiths were removed from the Celestial Temple (and now I suspect we’re getting into mythos you recognize, Major) because he and his kind had been razing the land with fire and terror while the Pah-Wraiths waged war on the Prophets in the heavens and… all that Kosst Amojan business.  He was the only one left, he said, the greatest of his kind, and it was my destiny to set him free, which I did, sneaking him aboard a transport (that took some doing, believe me; sneaking a _dragon_ anywhere without getting caught is something I never want to do again) set for a recently colonized planet where he could fly free, hatch the dragon egg I found several years later, eat local wildlife, and not, he promised me, bother the local inhabitants.  His name was Kilgarrah.”

Dax and Kira looked O’Brien for corroboration, but he shrugged.

Merlynn nodded, continuing, “I didn’t expect you to know his name.  Only a few people ever did the first time anyway.  The point is, it was then, when I met Kilgarrah and he told me I had a destiny as only one side of a very important coin, that I remembered, well, everything.  That I was once the wizard Merlin on Earth about two thousand years ago, that I was many other faces in many other places and times, but that, most of all, I was, well…”

“Mine,” Arthur finished softly.  “He was my wizard, my servant, and most of all, my greatest friend.  Greater even than Lancelot and Gawain.”

“And somehow I knew, I _knew_ , that in this life I would see Arthur again, just as I always do, but _soon_.”

 “Do you remember the Earth 2000s and your _hair_?  Goodness, but you were a hipster.  At least it and the punk look covered your ears.”  Arthur clearly got distracted easily.

“Stop with the ears.  I look for you all these years, I pull all these strings to get put on this committee with Gawain so I could meet this fabled vedek I was sure was you, and you make fun of my ears when I try to explain this magical reincarnation issue to poor Major Kira here, who probably still thinks I’m a mass murderer, Chief O’Brien, who probably thinks we’re plotting spies who do their research well, and Lieutenant Commander Dax, who probably thinks we’re crazy, no thanks to you.”

“No thanks to me?  I’ve had pounding headaches for a week now as all these lifetimes of memories have crawled back into my head!  I was perfectly happy as a normal Bajoran before I met you again, and what am I supposed to tell the medical staff—hello, sorry, can you help me with my reincarnation sickness?  For a few days there, _I_ thought I was crazy.”

“Well, I don’t really think you’re crazy, if that helps.” Jadzia said.  “Believe it or not, I know a little bit about star-crossed former lives.  I just don’t really understand how it works in your case.  I don’t know if you’re lying, but I’m not going to put aside the possibility that you’re not.”

“I haven’t the faintest idea why spies would want to pretend to be characters from Earth legend,” O’Brien added.

“Even if we’re actually crazy and this is some huge cosmic coincidence,” Arthur said reasonably, leaning forward with steepled fingers and sharp eyes (and there was the brilliant diplomat Kira had heard so much about and seen in negotiations, there was the man who everyone said could, it was already whispered, be the Kai of the century if Winn Adami ever stepped down), “we’ve both done a lot of good for our two planets.  We haven’t hurt anyone, we haven’t plotted, and I think you’ll find that the only secrets in either of our pasts come from Merlin’s refusal to own up to some of his greater deeds, but then he’s always been that way.  We just happened to be forming a friendship after being on separate sides of a terrible political situation.  I think we can all agree you’re not actually a mass murderer, _Mer_ lin.”

“I’m really not,” the Cardassian said, nodding earnestly.

“What I don’t understand,” Kira said thoughtfully, “Is how you just happened to be here at the same time as each other in this place—I mean, the Arthur family is one of Bajor’s oldest, and was one of its most powerful, long ago.  The Merlynns, from what I’ve read, have a long and valiant history in the Cardassian Central Command.  Why you two, and why not any other Arthur and Merlynn who might have had dealings before?”

“Destiny,” Gul Merlynn said simply, smiling.  “There’s never been another Bajoran Arthur Pendragon, nor another Cardassian Emrys Merlynn.  I don’t know why I had to be a Cardassian this time round, especially with all that Occupation business, but I’ve always had to believe there’s a reason for everything, otherwise what’s the point of anything?  I believe in magic and destiny like you and Arthur believe in the Prophets, Major Kira.  Some lives are led over and over, but I’m sure the Prophets know that better than any of us.  The first time around, it was human Christianity with a twist of Old Religion that got you, right Arthur?”

Vedek Arthur rolled his eyes.  “Don’t say it ‘got’ me; it was part of who I was.  I grew up believing in the Prophets, and I still do, very devoutly.  In fact, I’m going to lead a Temple service in a few hours.  Don’t ruin it by trying to cause an existential crisis now, all right?”

Gul Merlynn grinned cheekily.  “Yes, your Highness.”

Arthur grumbled, but then turned back to Kira, Dax, and O’Brien.  “I can understand how difficult this is for you to process, but I believe that I have a chance, in this life as in any other, to do great things for the people I care about.  I believe the Prophets have put me here in this place and time for reasons to which only they are privy, but I’ll do my best to fulfill destiny as they’ve laid it out for me.  I’ve always trusted Merlin to help me with such things, even when I didn’t know everything about him.”

“My magic, as it were, is a little weaker than it was in the days of the Old Religion, but I’ve found myself quite adept of the magic of today-- science and technology.  It’s a world of magnets and miracles.  Either way, I’ll do my best to serve Arthur, in what ways I can, as I always have.”

“But really,” Arthur added, shrugging in a manner that seemed almost too casual, “we’re only telling you this for your benefit, because I’m sure curiosity would have overcome you otherwise.  I’m sorry to confuse you so, but there’s really no reason for anyone else to believe there’s anything suspect about us, and it’s not as though very many other people will even recognize the same patterns you have.  After all,” he spread his hands, palms up, indicating the station around them, “Deep Space Nine is full of strange names and faces, and a few names that would only be familiar to a certain demographic probably won’t draw any more attention than they already have.  I thank you for the concern I know you’ve shown for me and particularly for Gwen, Major Kira.  I want little more than for our people to be looked after, especially in these trying times with the diplomacy talks and Dominion conflicts.”

“Well, that was my next question,” Chief O’Brien cut in thoughtfully.  “If I may ask, and I know this is a little presumptuous, is there anything between you and Guin Evear?  I’ve heard about what she and Lancelot did all those years ago in the myths, and while I’m still not sure I buy that all of you are all of them, wouldn’t it follow that you and she would be, well, um…”

“Bygones,” Arthur said quickly.  “That was what happened in the past, and I know that she and Lancelot are destined to be together; some issues you can just let go after a few lifetimes, you know?”  Jadzia nodded sagely.  “So I won’t stand in their way, and they’ve always been dear friends, even this time around before I recognized them again.  They’re starting to remember too, by the way.  A bit of advice: don’t try out-drinking Legate Gwayne; I tried it once in the American 1920s, and it ended badly for all of us.”

If anyone noticed the change of subject, he or she didn’t point it out.

“Well,” Merlynn said, standing abruptly.  “If I’m going to be all pretty when Arthur here performs his Temple services later, I should really be going now.  In a way, Major, you were right; I did experience a profound moment of conversion while I was occupying your planet.  I have a great deal of respect for your Prophets, and I think they’re probably more connected with my Old Religion than any of us knows yet.”  He grinned.

“Yes,” Arthur said, standing and starting off in the same direction.  “We can continue this conversation later, if you all would like; I’m sure there’s a great deal you’d like to know yet.  I really do need to prepare for services now, as well; I assume I’ll see you there, Major?”  He nodded perfunctorily at O’Brien, Dax, and Kira as he exchanged further good-byes, starting off in the same general direction Merlynn had taken. 

“Well… that was interesting.  And then abrupt,” Jadzia commented.

“My head is still spinning,” Chief O’Brien said.

“Now that they’re gone, Chief,” Kira said, not having heard the rest of the conversation in favor of watching as Arthur and Merlynn walked away, “I had another question for you, as our resident legend expert.”  O’Brien grimaced and nodded, with a token protest that she could probably find more and more accurate information from the Earth stories databases.

“I tried that.  There were somewhere around three million entries in the database for some combination of ‘King Arthur and Merlin,’ so you can see why this is faster.  It’s just—was there ever any story of anything, oh, you know, _romantic_ between them? I know this sounds odd, but could swear I saw Vedek Arthur and Gul Merlynn kissing the other day.”

“ _Kissing_?”  O’Brien was aghast, and Jadzia looked at her thoughtfully.

“Well, imagine how shocked I was!”

“I can’t remember anything of the sort.  In fact, all of the stories explicitly detailed King Arthur’s great love for Guinevere, and, you know, _women_ , and the only real romance associated with Merlin was a sorceress named Nimue.”

“Maybe I was seeing things, I don’t know.  And I know it’s none of my business, but I’m pretty sure that’s what I saw.”

“People get legends wrong all the time,” Jadzia pointed out.  “Take Trakor’s Third Prophecy, with the vipers and the sword of stars, or that confusion we had with who the real Emissary was.  Most of all, I saw the way those two were looking at each other.  I mean, I’m not saying any of it is true, and I don’t even know if there’s any way of knowing for sure, but if it is, this may be the most romantic story of all time.  Star-crossed, two sides of the same coin, long-lost knights, magic, dragons, saving orphans, being reunited after being on different sides—I feel like I just heard about a new holosuite novel.”  O’Brien and Kira had to agree with that, and Kira decided that, though she’d have to keep an eye on them still (just in case), there probably wasn’t an evil plot going on right under her nose.  This Gul Merlynn was the strangest Cardassian she’d ever met, for certain.  All that talk about destiny—she simply didn’t understand.

 

_Merlin and Arthur Exitlude_

Arthur lay back on the bed in his quarters, staring at the ceiling and listening with amusement to the sound of Merlin pressing his robes. (“You do know we have machines and computers and all manner of technology to do that, right?”  “Well, you don’t have armor to polish, Arthur, and it makes me feel useful while you write your little sermons, since you don’t let me write them for you anymore, and you hate it when I distract you.”)  Arthur shivered a little, but not unpleasantly, recalling what _distraction_ had occasionally entailed.  He couldn’t believe they’d only had a few days’ worth of stolen hours together this lifetime around; it felt like it had been forever.

“Merlin,” he called out suddenly, sitting up. 

“Yes, ‘Pendra?’” Merlin walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling.

“Lancelot and Gwen are leaving with a group of settlers, and they’re taking Leon and Elyan and everyone else they can find and convince with them, in hopes, I suppose, of starting anew and creating some sort of utopia.  The planet they’re colonizing is called Avalon.”

Merlin nodded, toying with the duvet with his long, gray (when Arthur gotten used to his warlock being a Cardassian?) fingers.  “It’s the same from my end.  Gawain is going with them, and so are Gaheris, Gareth, and their father; they’ve almost convinced Percival.  I’m pretty sure Avalon is what settlers named the world where I left Kilgarrah and Aithusa, incidentally.”

“Well… what do you think of it?”

Merlin looked up and met Arthur’s eyes, noticing, to his surprise, that nothing had really changed in thousands of years.  Other than the earring and nose ridges, he was the same-- the eyes, the chin, the lips, the once and future king—this was his Arthur, and, as usual, he was asking for advice without wanting to admit that that was what he was doing.  And, as usual, Merlin had to give him the hard answer.  He sighed.  “I would love to run away and adopt a hundred orphaned Bajoran children and colonize a new Albion with you, Arthur, but that’s never our destiny, is it?  We both of us have important work to do this time around, as usual.  We’re approaching being in the middle of a horrible war with the Dominion and the Klingons and the Federation, and if we want to keep things from falling apart, I’ll have to stay to help rebuild Central Command and you’ll have to keep trying to get Bajor into the Federation.”

Arthur nodded shortly.  “Of course.  I know that.  I was just wondering, you know…”

“Yes.” Merlin leaned in, linked his fingers together with Arthur’s, and pressed a reverent (if ironic, but then, it was Merlin, and he was unable to be completely serious) kiss to his brow.  “My liege, when this is all over, I’m sure there will be a place waiting for us there.  Gwen and Gawain have promised me that-- as long as I take care of the paperwork allowing all of our Cardassian friends to settle there without too much trouble.  After we’re no longer needed, in a few years, we can go there together and, for this lifetime at least, leave all this behind.  Until then, as I promised Major Kira, I will do my best to serve you, in what ways I can.”

Arthur quirked his eyebrows mischievously at the word “serve,” and Merlin punched him.  What kind of further behaviors followed the punching and the handholding are best left to more vivid imaginations.  After all, they still had four hours until the Bajoran Temple service.

 “At least I know that, this time around, now that we’ve nearly gotten things settled between our two peoples, between Bajor and Cardassia, we’ll be on the same side of this war that’s coming with the Founders and the Gamma Quadrant and what have you, and you won’t have to pretend to be something you’re not just to stay by my side.  Promise me you’ll never join the Dominion,” Arthur joked, breathing heavily, a few hours later.  Merlin smiled at Arthur, leaned in, and took his hand. 

“Of course not.  Not even Dukat would be that crazy.”

 

Meanwhile, the hand that had scattered the coins across the sky laughed sadly at them, and the Prophets tried to shush it, but they saw the irony as well.  They did actually end up living happily ever, but it took a while, so that is a story for another time.

 

The End


End file.
